This semester we decided to do something special. As a group we wanted to design a product that would not only generate profit but also improve someone’s quality of life. After a quick brainstorming session we came to the conclusion that we could potentially have the biggest positive impact on those members of society living in their cars. As college students who have tight budgets, we already had some experience spending a night or two in one’s vehicle. We knew that it was a cold, uncomfortable experience but in order for us to truly understand what it was like to live in a car full time, we needed to go out into the Salem community and learn from those individuals whose car functions as their home year-round.
To gain a better perspective we went to Arches Community Services in Salem, Oregon. At Arches, we were able to interview several different members of their organization who had at some point lived in their vehicle. As a group we asked them questions about their experience and what difficulties they encountered using their car as their home. From our questions we were able to dig deeper into these people’s live. We were able to learn about the experiences that lead them to a life on the streets and we were able to successfully diagnose what were just daily problems and what were life-threatening concerns. Yes, space was an issue and living with an animal caused some discomfort at night but everyone’s biggest problem, or should I say biggest fear, was the cold.
For one individual we met named Pete, dealing with the cold was always one of his top priorities. Pete lived in his car year-round and carried his entire life within that car. It was filled to the brim with his belongings and at night he was forced to sleep in the front drivers seat. Every night when trying to get to sleep Pete wouldn’t worry about how comfortable he was or if he had a place to throw away his garbage. Pete was more concerned about whether or not he was going to wake up. He is not. 700 people die from hypothermia on an annual basis. After listening to Pete’s story we felt that we had to do something to help him out.
To help improve Pete’s situation we asked ourselves a few “how might we?” questions to help jump-start the creative process. For example, how might we help Pete feel more comfortable in his car, or how might we create a product that can keep Pete warm at night? This process spurred a few more questions that were relevant to Pete’s living situation. These other “how might we?” questions established criteria unique to living in a car, and included affordability, durability, portability, compactness, and weather resistance.
From this process we brainstormed ideas on the whiteboard and came up with the Space Roll. The Space Roll is a rollup blanket made of heat reflective material. It is waterproof and windproof, but most importantly is warm. The Space Roll was inspired by the cheap and flimsy space blankets that hikers often carry in the woods. However, space blankets are really only useful once, as they easily tear and are very bulky once they are unfolded. In contrast, the Space Roll is compact and durable because it was designed to rollup and the reflective outer layer is laminated to a reinforcing mid-layer. The Space Roll met our criteria of cheap, portable, compact, weather resistant, and most importantly, warm. However, further product testing was needed to establish its durability. Moreover, the Space Roll was designed from the beginning with car-specific features, such as the ability to hook around car pedals to hold it securely in.
To construct a prototype of the Space Roll (SR-1), we went to Lowe’s and Wal-Mart in search of supplies. We wanted the SR-1 to be durable, have the ability to roll up, and be big enough for Pete. At first we thought we could use a wood rod, similar to a closet pole. But this was a little too thick and complicated for attaching the SR-1 to the car’s pedals. If we wanted to attach the SR-1 to the car pedals, we needed to have a frame with a hook. It was at this point that a member of the team remembered a house he used to live in with rollup vinyl blinds. Fresh with inspiration, we entered Lowe’s and found a mini rollup vinyl blind about two feet wide. This was perfect! It even included mounting hardware that could attach to a flat 1 in. x 1 in. wood strip. To attach the SR-1 to the car we bought a two-prong coat hook that could easily attach and be removed with ease.
The next day we started assembly at the Design Thinking prototyping lab at Willamette University. Additional tools required were pretty basic, such as a hammer, scissors, screwdriver, spray-adhesive, and measuring tape. We unrolled the rollup blind and sprayed one side of the vinyl with spray-adhesive and applied it to the space blanket. Next, we flipped the SR-1 over and sprayed the other side. We applied brown paper towels on either side of the SR-1, sprayed thenew surface again, and then applied the second space blanket to seal the topcoat of vinyl and brown paper towel on the inside. SR-1 was now complete, but we wanted to come back to the project later and brainstorm improvements after we stepped away and cleared out heads.
SR-1.1 represents the second generation of the Space Roll. For this version of the prototype we trimmed excess material from around the edges of SR-1 and applied a layer of duck tape around the edge. This not only improved the durability of the roll but it also improved the overall look of the product. While we most definitely need to continue to rework and improve Space Roll, we feel that this product is sufficient enough to meet and fulfill Pete's needs. If Pete were to find this product on shelf stores or if he was given this product through Arches or another community service organization he would no longer have to fear the night. Pete would no more have to worry about waking up the next day and he would be one step closer to working his way out of poverty.
The Space Roll: Final Report
By: William Aleman, Cole Douglas and Ryan Kunes
This semester we decided to do something special. As a group we wanted to design a product that would not only generate profit but also improve someone’s quality of life. After a quick brainstorming session we came to the conclusion that we could potentially have the biggest positive impact on those members of society living in their cars. As college students who have tight budgets, we already had some experience spending a night or two in one’s vehicle. We knew that it was a cold, uncomfortable experience but in order for us to truly understand what it was like to live in a car full time, we needed to go out into the Salem community and learn from
those individuals whose car functions as their home year-round.
To gain a better perspective we went to Arches Community Services in Salem, Oregon. At Arches, we were able to interview several different members of their organization who had at some point lived in their vehicle. As a group we asked them questions about their experience and what difficulties they encountered using their car as their home. From our questions we were able to dig deeper into these people’s live. We were able to learn about the experiences that
lead them to a life on the streets and we were able to successfully diagnose what were just daily problems and what were life-threatening concerns. Yes, space was an issue and living with an animal caused some discomfort at night but everyone’s biggest problem, or should I say biggest fear, was the cold.
For one individual we met named Pete, dealing with the cold was always one of his top priorities. Pete lived in his car year-round and carried his entire life within that car. It was filled to the brim with his belongings and at night he was forced to sleep in the front drivers seat. Every night when trying to get to sleep Pete wouldn’t worry about how comfortable he was or if he had a place to throw away his garbage. Pete was more concerned about whether or not he was going to wake up. He is not. 700 people die from hypothermia on an annual basis. After listening to Pete’s story we felt that we had to do something to help him out.
To help improve Pete’s situation we asked ourselves a few “how might we?” questions to help jump-start the creative process. For example, how might we help Pete feel more comfortable in his car, or how might we create a product that can keep Pete warm at night? This process spurred a few more questions that were relevant to Pete’s living situation. These other “how might we?” questions established criteria unique to living in a car, and included affordability, durability, portability, compactness, and weather resistance.
From this process we brainstormed ideas on the whiteboard and came up with the Space Roll. The Space Roll is a rollup blanket made of heat reflective material. It is waterproof and windproof, but most importantly is warm. The Space Roll was inspired by the cheap and flimsy space blankets that hikers often carry in the woods. However, space blankets are really only useful once, as they easily tear and are very bulky once they are unfolded. In contrast, the Space Roll is compact and durable because it was designed to rollup and the reflective outer layer is laminated to a reinforcing mid-layer. The Space Roll met our criteria of cheap, portable, compact, weather resistant, and most importantly, warm. However, further product testing was needed to establish its durability. Moreover, the Space Roll was designed from the beginning with car-specific features, such as the ability to hook around car pedals to hold it securely in.
To construct a prototype of the Space Roll (SR-1), we went to Lowe’s and Wal-Mart in search of supplies. We wanted the SR-1 to be durable, have the ability to roll up, and be big enough for Pete. At first we thought we could use a wood rod, similar to a closet pole. But this was a little too thick and complicated for attaching the SR-1 to the car’s pedals. If we wanted to attach the SR-1 to the car pedals, we needed to have a frame with a hook. It was at this point that a member of the team remembered a house he used to live in with rollup vinyl blinds. Fresh with inspiration, we entered Lowe’s and found a mini rollup vinyl blind about two feet wide. This was perfect! It even included mounting hardware that could attach to a flat 1 in. x 1 in. wood strip. To attach the SR-1 to the car we bought a two-prong coat hook that could easily attach and be removed with ease.
The next day we started assembly at the Design Thinking prototyping lab at Willamette University. Additional tools required were pretty basic, such as a hammer, scissors, screwdriver, spray-adhesive, and measuring tape. We unrolled the rollup blind and sprayed one side of the vinyl with spray-adhesive and applied it to the space blanket. Next, we flipped the SR-1 over and sprayed the other side. We applied brown paper towels on either side of the SR-1, sprayed thenew surface again, and then applied the second space blanket to seal the topcoat of vinyl and brown paper towel on the inside. SR-1 was now complete, but we wanted to come back to the project later and brainstorm improvements after we stepped away and cleared out heads.
SR-1.1 represents the second generation of the Space Roll. For this version of the prototype we trimmed excess material from around the edges of SR-1 and applied a layer of duck tape around the edge. This not only improved the durability of the roll but it also improved the overall look of the product. While we most definitely need to continue to rework and improve Space Roll, we feel that this product is sufficient enough to meet and fulfill Pete's needs. If Pete were to find this product on shelf stores or if he was given this product through Arches or another community service organization he would no longer have to fear the night. Pete would no more have to worry about waking up the next day and he would be one step closer to working his way out of poverty.
Example: SR-1.1 in action